Last week, on April 8, I drove to Vermont to see a solar eclipse. It was so cool! We went far enough to be in the path of totality, where the moon entirely covered the sun.
While it was amazing to see the sun disappear and the world get dark, it was also bizarre. I’m not the only one to think so, either. Civilizations have tried for centuries to explain solar eclipses through different myths, many of which feature a creature or entity eating the sun.
In Norse mythology, this is the role of the giant wolves Sköll and Hati. The children of the giant wolf Fenrir, Sköll and Hati spend their time chasing the sun and moon, respectively, across the sky. Eclipses occur when they reach their quarry. Even more worryingly, Ragnarök (i.e., the end of the world) begins when finally Sköll catches the sun and Hati catches the moon. But don’t worry! The ancient Norse would prevent Ragnarök by making a lot of noise and scaring the wolves away.
Today, we know that Sköll and Hati aren’t actually chasing the sun and moon or causing eclipses. Gray wolves (Canis lupis) are found in many places, but the sky is not one of them! Historically, gray wolves were found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and in any habitat except tropical forests. Today, gray wolves are more restricted to the tundra and forests.
The species “gray wolf” encompasses almost 40 different subspecies. (As a reminder, “subspecies” refers to different populations within a species that vary in appearance but can interbreed). Gray wolf subspecies vary in coat coloration and size. One of the largest, the Russian gray wolf, can be 176 pounds (almost 80 kilograms); in contrast, the Arabian wolf only weighs an average of 45 pounds (about 20 kilograms). Smaller subspecies live in more desert regions and have a redder or tanner pelt. Larger wolves live where it’s colder and are more likely to have a gray, white, or black pelt. These wolves are comfortable even at -40 Fahrenheit (-40 Celsius)!
Pack life
Gray wolves are highly social carnivores, typically living in packs of five to eight individuals. However, a new pack may be as small as just two wolves (a male and a female), and packs as large as 36 individuals have been reported. Packs are typically made of an adult pair and their offspring.
At its core, a wolf pack is and functions like a family unit. The dominant pair guides the family, deciding activities, movements, and hunting. They are also typically the only wolves that mate within a pack. Their offspring usually stay with their parents for two or three years before leaving the pack. The exception is when there is plenty of food and many wolf packs in a small area. In this case, young wolves are safer staying for a while with their parents – they have plenty of food and aren’t at risk of being attacked by a neighboring group.
What about alphas? The term “alpha” for the dominant pair is an outdated term based on studies of captive wolves in packs with no family ties. But in the wild, pack members typically defer to their father and mother. Younger pups will also defer to their older siblings, and fighting for dominance rarely happens.
Hunters
Gray wolves are keystone predators. This means that they play a crucial role in maintaining the population sizes of other animals and keeping the ecosystem healthy and in check. When keystone predators are removed, a species may quickly grow in number and outcompete or displace others. In other words, removing gray wolves will likely cause the ecosystem to collapse.
Gray wolves keep a large variety of prey animals in check. They’ll hunt small prey like beaver, rabbit, and fish when the opportunity arises. But through the power of cooperative hunting, gray wolf packs can take down larger prey like caribou, deer, and bison.
Feeding begins once the prey is brought down, with the dominant pair eating first. Strong jaws and teeth help break through hide and bone. Gray wolves have the strongest bite force of any canine, ranging between 400 and 1200 pounds per square inch. Wolves eat a lot when they can and may eat 20 pounds (9 kilograms) in a single sitting. This gives them the energy they need to survive between successful hunts – a wolf can go a week without eating. Ideally, though, they eat at least 7 pounds of food a day and can survive on an average of just 2 pounds daily.
Howling
Despite what you might have heard, wolves do not howl at the moon. They do howl at night, but these sounds aren’t directed towards the moon. Instead, howling is used as a form of communication between wolves.
Howling serves many different purposes for wolves, and there are even different types of howls. For example, a short call that rises in pitch is called a “lonesome howl” and is used by a wolf separated from its pack. When the wolf gets a response, it starts using a deep, even howl to let others know where it is.
Howls also communicate with other packs, letting them know that a specific territory is occupied. This sort of communication reduces the need to physically defend a territory; by letting other wolves know where their territory is, a wolf pack can ensure that others know what areas have already been taken.
Wolves even have unique howls, with each individual having its own sound. Since a howl can be heard up to 10 miles away, it’s a great way of letting others know where you are! Imagine how much more terrifying a solar eclipse would be if it were accompanied by the howls of Sköll and Hati as they ate the sun.
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